There is a fundamental misconception about America, held by both Liberals and Conservatives alike. It is that America was founded as a Christian nation. Many, if not most, Liberals hold this misconception in fear and loathing, and work tirelessly to make sure the culture of our nation never returns to such an unenlightened state. Most, if not all, Conservatives hold this misconception as an anthemic reson d'etre, holding it as the foundation of Conservative Fundamentalism.
The truth is, America was not founded as a Christian nation, and it was never meant to be one.
I have come to understand what the founding fathers understood, namely that a Christian nation is by default Totalitarian by nature, albeit beneficent. If our nation had been founded as a Christian nation, one would expect some evidence of preferential treatment for the religion in its founding documents. However, no such preference is shown; indeed, the prohibition against just such a preference is guaranteed in the second amendment.
America was meant by its founding fathers to be a religious nation, not a Christian nation, for it was intended that all good religions be respected and allowed to be practiced. It makes no difference that most of the founding fathers were themselves Christians, or that they prayed to a Christian God, followed the Protestant belief system, or personally promoted Christianity. What matters to America is that they held it vitally important that religion be respected, protected, and promoted. Good religions promote morality, and morality promotes good government. Such was the stance of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. Indeed, so many of the founding fathers set down their thoughts regarding this, that there can be no debate as to what was intended when they formed the Republic.
Sadly, it is our own fault that so few understand, on both sides, the truth of a Religious America. Now, religious groups fight alongside atheists to remove any trace of religion from our public culture, not understanding they promote their own demise. The founding fathers knew that, for a nation to remain truly free, able to address evil, and directed by a moral compass, that nation had to be founded upon a respect for religions that promoted just such values. They knew that the involvement of men and women of faith in government was imperative to the integrity of that government. The moral compass provided by a heart-possessed faith, whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Taoist, or other, was and still is the uplifting force that made America great, the lack of which now threatens to make America weak, or destroy it altogether.
Hence the quandary many Americans find themselves in: whether to support a war against a religious ideology or not. Islam is the religion antithetical to all others. Where Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, or Shintoism teach that all mankind is worthy of respect, whether member or not, Islam teaches that no one is worthy of respect other than Muslims. Where most religions promote peaceful relations with others, Islam commands war. It is the lack of religious involvement, and the increasing prohibition of such, that has created a nation of weak, snivelling, emotional, "I feel your pain" weather vanes. For a nation of religious faithful is a nation able to recognize evil for what it is, and destroy it.
We were such a nation for quite some time, through the First World War, World War II, even into the Korean War. But no more. Our nation is split, between empathizing liberals and enraged conservatives, between an increasingly socialist elite and an increasingly conservative middle class, between those who see no reason for war at any time and those who see the need to remain ever watchful, ever defensive, and willing to take the offensive if needed.
We are the sleeping giant still, but the giant is so confused, it may not wake up in time.
2 comments:
I think most of the founding fathers would be very surprised to find that their references to God were not necessarily references to the God of Christianity. They certainy did intend this to be a Christian nation but not a theocracy which is what you described.
Not only was there little tolerance of other 'religions' in the early history of our land, it took some work before there was tolerance between the various Christian churches -- check out the various state constitutions that originally sponsored specific denominational churches.
I think it's semantics here that's confusing the issue. The founding fathers definately intended the value system of America to be Christian, and promoted Christianity almost to a man; however, at the Federal level, our government was set up to afford all religions equal status, in direct reaction to the intolerance of the national religions as established in England and Europe, which had, in their prior generation's recent memory, caused great unrest and led to persecution and torture. Indeed, while nine of the colonial states had established state-sponsored churches prior to the American Revolution, three separated church and state in the rewriting of their constitutions after establishment of the National Constitution - New York, North Carolina, and Virginia. In the remaining six states, concessions were made allowing public support of more than one church. The equality of religion and the ability to practice according to conscience that was set down at the Federal Level filtered down to the states, as shown by the last provision of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (adopted in June 1776), which provided "that religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence, and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity, towards each other." This is indicative of my point. Christianity is not sponsored or established, but Christian values are promoted above all others.
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